A collection of sixty-five glass 'eye' beads, Zhou dynasty. Estimate US$ 10,000 - 20,000 (€9,000 - 18,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Made from lead-barium glass, with vibrant blue bodies, some of iridescent tones, inset with delicately formed balls, rosettes, spirals and dots of contrasting colored glass in yellow, white and turquoise hues, the beads now strung on a cord to form a necklace. 1 1/4in (2.8cm) width of the largest

Notes: The earliest known Chinese glass beads were crafted during the Western Zhou period, from the ninth to eighth centuries B.C., perhaps as an attempt to imitate jade. Glass beads were also imported to China from Mesopotamia in the Near East, and during the Eastern Zhou period, glass 'eye' beads were admired as exotic, decorative objects and were placed in aristocratic tombs to indicate high status. The key difference between Chinese and Near Eastern glass beads was the higher lead content in Chinese glass. 

The term 'eye' bead derives from the concentric circles of variously-colored glass layered upon a glass core to create the effect of 'eyes'. Examples can now be found in museums, including blue beads dated to the Warring States period in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, no. B62M32, and a brown glass bead also dated to the Warring States Period in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, and included in the exhibition Sharing Treasures: A Special Exhibition of Antiquities Donated to the Museum, no. Zheng-Za-000002. It is very rare to find a large collection such as the present lot offered for sale.

Bonhams. CHINESE PAINTINGS AND WORKS OF ART, 14 Sep 2015 10:00 EDT , NEW YORK

Pair of Platinum and Diamond Pendant-Earclips, The Tops by Harry Winston. Estimate 300,000 — 400,000 USD . Photo: Sotheby's.

Of cluster form, the tops centering two round diamonds weighing approximately 4.70 carats, accented by pear-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 38.50 carats, further set with marquise-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 20.50 carats, with maker's mark; pendants detachable; circa 1960. 

Property from the estate of Dolores Sherwood Bosshard

Sotheby's. Important Jewels, New York, 24 sept. 2015

Platinum and Diamond Bracelet, Harry Winston. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 USD . Photo: Sotheby's.

The cluster-style bracelet set with numerous round diamonds weighing approximately 69.00 carats, accented by marquise-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 32.00 carats, internal circumference 6½ inches, with maker's mark for François Tavernier; circa 1960.

Property from the estate of Dolores Sherwood Bosshard

Sotheby's. Important Jewels, New York, 24 sept. 2015

Platinum, 11.62 carats Burmese Sapphire and Diamond Ring, Harry Winston. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 USD . Photo: Sotheby's.

Centering an emerald-cut sapphire weighing 11.62 carats, framed by marquise-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 9.00 carats, size 6½, with maker's mark for Jacques Timey.

Accompanied by AGL report no. CS 68607 stating that the sapphire is of Burmese origin, with no indications of heating.

Sotheby's. Important Jewels, New York, 24 sept. 2015

Platinum and 5.27 carats Diamond Ring, Harry Winston. Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 USD . Photo: Sotheby's.

Centering a marquise-shaped diamond weighing 5.27 carats, flanked by tapered baguette diamonds weighing approximately .45 carat, size 5¼, with maker's mark for Jacques Timey.

Accompanied by GIA report no. 2171217267 stating that the diamond is D color, VS1 clarity. Together with the original working diagram stating that the diamond may be potentially internally flawless. 

Sotheby's. Important Jewels, New York, 24 sept. 2015 

Pair of Platinum, 18 Karat Gold, Burmese Ruby and Diamond Earclips, Harry Winston.  Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD . Photo: Sotheby's.

Centering two oval-shaped rubies, together weighing 2.97 carats, framed by marquise-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 7.80 carats, signed Winston, numbered 6438. With signed box.

Accompanied by AGL report no. CS 68609 A and B stating that the rubies are of Burmese origin, one ruby with indications of heating and one ruby with no indications of heating.

Sotheby's. Important Jewels, New York, 24 sept. 2015 

An exceptional Imperial painted enamel wine pot and cover, Qianlong six-character seal mark within a square in red enamel and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate $300,000 – $500,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015.

Each broad side of the faceted bombé body is finely painted with a different scene of scholars, in one, three scholars sit on stools as they examine a painting, and in the other, two scholars sit sleepily on the ground beside an attendant and a large wine jar. Each panel is bordered by blue dragon-scroll and reserved on a dense, foliate scroll-decorated yellow ground repeated on the narrow sides, handle, spout, and cover below a rectangular, carnelian agate finial. 7 in. (17.8 cm.) wide across spout and handle.

Provenance: S. Marchant & Son, London, 2001.

Property from a Private Dallas Collection

Notes: This elegantly-shaped, rectangular-sectioned wine pot is beautifully painted in rich enamel colours in three contrasting, but complementary, styles. The background is painted with elaborate, multi-coloured floral scrolls against an imperial yellow ground. Each of the decorative panels is framed by two confronting archaistic dragons painted in shaded blue and white – their tails and extended wings looping around to meet in the centre of the top and bottom of the frame, respectively. Within the panels the scenes of scholars in garden landscapes have been painted with considerable naturalism making full use of stippling and the extended enamel palette. While each of these three styles of painting is different, they combine to create a harmonious overall design.

A very similar use of styles, colours and themes can be seen on a Qianlong covered bowl in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, p. 254, no. 135. (Fig. 1) Not only are the background and panel frames similar to those on the current wine pot, both the painting style and the subject of scholars in garden landscape settings within the three panels on the lower part of the Taipei covered bowl are very similar those on the wine pot. Two additional similarities can be seen. One is the red enamel six-character Qianlong seal mark within a single square, which appears on the base of both vessels. The other is the band of blue ruyiheads highlighted with a single white dot which encircles both the finial on the current wine pot and the foot of both lid and base of the covered bowl. While the geometric blue-on-white bands around the edge of the lid and of the mouth and of the lower part of the wine pot, and around the feet and lid edge of the covered bowl are of somewhat different design, it is significant that the bands around the edge of the lid of the wine pot, and the feet of the covered bowl are all painted between narrow red bands. 

Fig. 1. A painted enamel covered bowl decorated with landscape scenes and fgures, Qianlong mark and period (1736-1795), in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, After Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, Taipei, 1999, p. 254, no. 135.

A similar use of yellow ground with multi-coloured floral scrolls punctuated by panels containing depictions of scholars in garden landscapes can be seen on a Qianlong hand-warmer – also with red enamel six-character Qianlong seal mark within a single square – in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei (illustrated in Enamel Ware in the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties, op. cit., p. 243, no. 134) although the frames of the panels on the hand-warmer are in red tones and created using abutted S- and C-shaped elements. The use of imperial yellow grounds ornamented with multi-coloured floral scrolls was much admired by the court in the Qianlong reign and can be seen on a number of items in a range of forms preserved in the collections of the Palace Museum, Beijing, and the National Palace Museum, Taipei. 

A scene of scholars in a garden setting, similar to the one on the current wine pot, appears on a Qianlong enamelled tea container in the collection of the State Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow (illustrated by Marina Neglinskaya inKitaŸske raspisnìe zmali, Moscow, 1995, cat. 38), although in the case of the Moscow piece, one scholar is playing theqin while another listens and a servant approaches with refreshments. The enamels on the Moscow tea container are less rich than those on the current wine pot and the covered bowl from the National Palace Museum Collection, and the dominant colour in the background is blue rather than yellow, but it is interesting to note that the style was appreciated by the European elite as well as those in China.

Rosemary Scott
International Academic Director, Asian Art

Christie's. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 17 - 18 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

A rare Ming-style yellow-ground blue and white conical bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate 150,000 – $200,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Of conical form, the bowl is strongly potted with wide flaring sides rising from a spreading foot to an everted rim. The interior is delicately painted with a central medallion enclosing a leafy spray of chrysanthemum, surrounded by six evenly spaced floral sprays in the cavetto, which are lotus, mallow, camelia, chrysanthemum, gardenia, and hibiscus, below a narrow band of floral sprigs at rim. The exterior is similarly painted, with a thin band of key fret to the underside of the everted rim and a band of cloud scroll encircling the foot, all against a bright lemon-yellow enamel ground, continuing onto the base around the underglaze-blue mark, save for the exterior of the foot covered with a green enamel. 10 ¼ in. (26 cm.) diam., Japanese wood box

Notes: The shape of this bowl and the design in underglaze blue comprised of varying floral sprays are inspired by a Xuande prototype, such as the example in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, pp. 178-9, no. 62. The addition of a yellow enamel ground to this design and shape was an innovation of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen during the Yongzheng period. In his Taocheng jishi, 'Account of Porcelain Achievement', compiled in 1735, Tang Ying includes a list of fifty-seven types of wares supplied to the court, one of which was described as 'Xuande-style design on yellow ground', and noted to be a newly developed category of the period. 

Similar Qianlong-marked bowls are found in the Qing Court Collection and international museums. The National Palace Museum, Taipei, has nine examples listed on the online archive, museum numbers: zhongci 003353N-003361N. Another example is in the Baur Foundation, illustrated by J. Ayers in The Baur Collection Geneva, vol. IV, Geneva, 1974, no. A584; another in the Nanjing Museum, included in the exhibition catalogue Qing Imperial Porcelain, Hong Kong, 1995, no. 79, and again illustrated in The Official Kiln Porcelain of the Chinese Qing Dynasty, Shanghai, 2003, p. 216. 

Christie’s. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 17 - 18 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

A rare famille-rose and pale celadon-glazed vase-shaped support with European figures, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Estimate 60,000 – $80,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The elongated, ovoid support has a ringed neck with everted rim that narrows at top to a raised band and the narrow mouth, and is supported on either side by a kneeling European wearing a tricorn hat, one dressed in an iron-red coat with brown borders and green breeches, the other an iron-red bordered turquoise coat patterned with black floral sprays and puce breeches. The flat, unglazed base is raised slightly above the footrim and has a central aperture. 16 in. (40.7 cm.) high

Provenance: John T. Dorrance, Jr. (1919-1989) Collection; Sotheby's New York, 20-21 October 1989, lot 400.
Private collection, New York.
The Chinese Porcelain Company, New York. 

Literature: The Chinese Porcelain Company - A Dealer's Record 1985-2000, New York, 2000, p. 185.

Notes: The imagery of foreigners paying tribute to the Imperial Qing court was an auspicious theme that was particularly favored by the Qianlong Emperor. Scenes of tribute bearers were successfully enameled on a number of ceramics such as the Qianlong-marked vase in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in the Special Exhibition of Ch'ing Dynasty Enamelled Porcelains of the Imperial Ateliers, Taipei, 1992, p. 275, no. 141. Tribute scenes also found popularity in court paintings, such as the anonymous hanging scroll, 'Envoys from Vassal States and Foreign Countries Presenting Tribute to the Emperor', in the Palace Museum Collection, illustrated in Paintings by Court Artists of the Qing Court, The Complete Collection of the Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1996, pp. 240-241, no. 64. Rarely, objects were made showing Europeans bearing tribute objects. A set of eight ivory and painted figures of kneeling Europeans, each carrying or supporting a different Buddhist emblem, was exhibited at the International Exhibition of Chinese Art at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1935-36 (one was included in the catalogue, no. 2315), six of the set were later owned by Mr. and Mrs. Rafi Mottahedeh and illustrated by D. Howard and J. Ayers inChina for the West, vol. 2, pp. 663-65, nos. 688 a-c.

Vessels such as the present vase, featuring figural supports modeled as Europeans, are also exceedingly rare. While figures of European couples, which included a similarly dressed gentleman with tricorn hat, were produced in the Qianlong period for export to Europe, it seems likely that the present vase was produced for domestic, if not imperial, use (see W. Sargent, The Copeland Collection, Chinese and Japanese Figures, Peabody Museum of Art, 1991, p. 220, no. 106, for a figural group of a European couple). A rare faux-bois barrel-form jardinière in the Espirito Santo Collection, Lisbon, features three Europeans similar to those found on the present vase, and exhibits another instance of European tribute bearers carrying a Chinese-taste vessel (see M. Beurdeley, China Trade Porcelain, Rutland, 1962, p. 121, pl. XXII). A vase very similar to the present vase, with European figural supports and decorated in famille roseenamels with auspicious Chinese motifs, and bearing a Qianlong mark, indicating imperial taste, was sold at Christie’s London, 20 July 1970, lot 79 (Fig. 1). The present example does differ slightly from the above-mentioned vase in the treatment of the base, which was deliberately pierced before firing and features an unusual unglazed, flat, raised ring around the opening. Because of this construction, and the unusually heavy weight, it appears likely that it was made as some type of support, or perhaps as a holder for a staff or banner.

Fig. 1. A vase with European fgural supports and decorated in famille rose enamels, Qianlong mark and period, sold at Christie’s London, 20 July 1970, lot 79.

Christie’s. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 17 - 18 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

A famille rose'sanduo' bowl, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate 3,000 – $5,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The rounded sides are decorated with fruit-bearing branches of peach, pomegranate and lychee, the sanduo. 6 in. (15.2 cm.) diam.

Christie’s. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 17 - 18 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

A small doucai jar, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate 15,000 – $25,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The tapering body is decorated with a formal design of chrysanthemum roundels alternating with lotus arabesques, all of the flowers picked out in iron red or yellow, arranged in two registers between blue-ground ruyi borders above and below. 4 5/8 in. (11.8 cm.) high

Provenance: Private American collection, acquired in the 1950s-60s.

Notes: The design on this jar is a Qing adaption of a design of medallions of chrysanthemums and butterflies seen on Chenghua jars, such as the jar from the Qing Court collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 38 - Porcelains in Polychrome and Contrasting Colours, Hong Kong 1999, pl. 166. 

Similar Qianlong-marked jars include a pair in the Tianjian Art Museum illustrated in Chinese Treasures of 5000 Years, Japan, 1985, no. 46; and another pair is illustrated in Min Shin no bijutsu (The Art of Ming and Qing), Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, 1980, p. 43, no. 1-192. See, also, the pair sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2013, lot 3209.

Christie’s. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 17 - 18 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

A set of three iron-red-decorated blue and white wine cups, Qianlong four-character seal marks in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795). Estimate 6,000 – $8,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

Each has deep sides decorated on the exterior in underglaze blue with Shoulao seated on a deer and Xiwangmu seated on a phoenix facing each other amidst clouds on a ground of iron-red waves, and on the interior with a central medallion of a shou character encircled by the wufu on a similar wave ground. The rim is gilded. 2 ¼ in. (5.7 cm.) diam., box

Notes: The Daoist longevity theme employed by the depictions of both Shoulao and Xiwangmu, Queen Mother of the West, who resides in the Western Paradise where peaches were thought to provide immortality, represents that this set of cups may have been intended as a birthday gift. The wish is reinforced by the inclusion of a shou (long life) medallion on the interior of the cups. The five bats (wufu) encircling the shou medallions represent the five blessings of a rich and full life: longevity, wealth, health, love of virtue, and a natural death.

Christie’s. FINE CHINESE CERAMICS AND WORKS OF ART, 17 - 18 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

Plectrone endroedii, males

Plectrone endroedii, females

A rare and unusual pair of inlaid bronze beakers, Warring States period Estimate US$ 20,000 - 30,000 (€18,000 - 27,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Cast in bronze and of tubular form, the sides applied with bronze wire in intricate geometric patters, alternately enclosing minute chips of malachite and lapis, the vessels raised on low flaring feet, the lips with silver rims, the undersides inset with red lacquered-wood plugs, the interiors retaining traces of red lacquer. 4 1/2in (11.5cm) height of each 

Published: Kaikodo Journal, New York, Spring 1996, p. 109, no. 51

Notes: Warring States vessels with such fine and colorful stone inlay are extremely rare. However for a stylistic predecessor of this pair, of ivory inlaid with contrasting turquoise, see the cup from the tomb of the famous Shang period Queen Fu Hao, excavated in 1976 at Anyang, and now in the Museum of Yinxu, Henan Province. 

For another example of a vessel of related form, although inlaid with the more typical silver and slightly taller (5 7/8in high), see J. So, Eastern Zhou Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, New York, 1995, p. 416-8, no. 86, and later sold at Sotheby's New York, Magnificent Ritual Bronzes, sale 9026, 17 September 2013, lot 9. The author notes the distinctive shape, "so far only from the Warring States sites in Shandong Province, within the ancient realm of Qi", and that the size of the Sackler beaker (which at 15.1cm high is comparable to the present lot) is unusually small compared to other vessels such as one unearthed at Zhucheng and another from the collection of Dr. Paul Singer. She speculates that the size and surface ornamentation may be the result of later reworking.

Related tubular cups were made in the Han dynasty in jade, suggesting that vessels such as the present lot may have been the inspiration for later developments: see for example a footed jade cup excavated at Chezhangcun, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province and illustrated by J. Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 386, fig. 3, although Rawson also posits a lacquer prototype for the cup. It is interesting to note that Rawson connects such tubular vessels with double cup stands formed with a bird perching on a monster, for example a 2nd century BC stand excavated at Dou Wan, Mancheng, Hebei Province, and illustrated ibid., p. 387, fig. 4. The placement of a pair of tubular cups in such a stand would provide a model for the very popular yingxiong or 'hero' vase form favored in many media in later Chinese art.

Bonham's. CHINESE PAINTINGS AND WORKS OF ART, 14 Sep 2015 10:00 EDT - NEW YORK

A silver circular box and cover, Tang dynasty. Estimate US$ 8,000 - 12,000 (€7,200 - 11,000). Photo: Bonhams.

The box and cover finely worked with bands of foliate scrolls on a stippled ground, enclosing on the slightly domed cover a roaring lion and on the flattened box a duck perching on a flowering lotus pod, fitted box. 1 5/8in (4cm) diameter

Provenance: An American private collection 
Christie's New York, Important Chinese Works from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, sale 8064, 1 December 1994, lot 63
Desmond Gure Collection, no.87 (label)

Exhibited: Venice, Mostra d'Arte Cinese, 1954, no. 271
London, Oriental Ceramic Society, The Arts of the T'ang Dynasty, 1955, no. 340

Notes: The lion is an animal not native to China, and the Chinese term 獅子 shizi may be derived from the Persian šír: see C. Michaelson, Gilded Dragons: Buried Treasures from China's Golden Ages, London, 1999, p. 122. The association of the lion with Buddhism, and with the promulgation and defence of this religion, may explain its popularity on Tang period objects. The lotus too bears Buddhist connotations of purity, whilst also symbolizing fertility with its prominent seed pod, and the mandarin duck is associated with conjugal happiness. Pairs of ducks are more commonly found on Tang pieces, whilst the single duck with a lotus is more rare. The combination of all these subtle references is indicative of the cosmopolitan and religiously diverse Tang period, and its pervasive influence on later Chinese dynasties. 

Compare two related boxes and covers from the Collection of Carl Kempe, with similar scrolls and animal motifs, sold at Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork, Early Gold and Silver; Early Chinese White, Green and Black Wares, sale 8211, 14 May 2008, lots 42 and 81. Another previously in the Collection of Dr Ip Yee sold at Sotheby's New York, sale 9006, 17 September 2013, lot 33. 

Bonham's. CHINESE PAINTINGS AND WORKS OF ART, 14 Sep 2015 10:00 EDT - NEW YORK

A fine silver stem cup, Tang dynasty, late 7th-early 8th century. Estimate US$ 15,000 - 25,000 (€13,000 - 22,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Of graceful form, the deep cup exquisitely chased and engraved in a wide band with a delicate continuous meander issuing leaves and palmette-shaped blossoms, beneath a rib and a further floral scroll below the rim, the cup above a flange decorated with saw-tooth motif and all raised on a knopped stem and flaring recessed foot further engraved with floral scrolls. 2 1/2in (6.2cm) high

Provenance: An American private collection
Christie's New York, Important Chinese Works from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, sale 8064, 1 December 1994, lot 62
Desmond Gure Collection, no. 85 (label)

Exhibited: London, Oriental Ceramic Society, The Arts of the T'ang Dynasty, 1955, no. 341 
Venice, Mostra d'Arte Cinese, 1954, no.272

Literature: R. Soame Jenyns, Chinese Art III, New York, 1980, no. 20
Bo Gyllensvärd, 'T'ang Gold and Silver,' Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, no. 29, Stockholm, 1957, pl. 8(d)

Notes: Precious Tang silver pieces have long fascinated scholars and collectors from East to West, their universal appeal perhaps reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of the period in which they were produced. The use of precious metal and the elaborately ribbed and flanged stem cup form appear to be based on Sassanian vessels, adopted in China first as a novelty, but later integrated into religious ceremony: see M. Medley, Metalwork and Chinese Ceramics, London, 1972, p. 5, and Qi, Tang dai jinyinqi yanjiu, Beijing, 1999, p. 408. 

Similar cups have been excavated at Tang sites in Shaanxi Province, including one included in a burial cache unearthed at Hejiacun within the Tang period walled city of Chang'an (modern Xi'an) and another found in a reliquary chamber at Qingshan Temple in Lindongxian. The construction of this monastery was documented in an inscription dating the final re-building to 741: see C. Michaelson, Gilded Dragons: Buried Treasures from China's Golden Ages, London, 1999, pp. 59-63 and 130-137 for a discussion of Tang hoards in tombs and temples. 

A nearly identical silver stem cup sold at Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork, Early Gold and Silver, sale 8211, 14 May 2008, lot 47, and the same piece is illustrated in Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, pl. 102. A related stem cup but of more squat form sold at Christie's New York, The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, Part IV, 20 March 2015, lot 727. Another cup of more similar form, but of less precious bronze, is in the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art, no.F1911.70, the gift of Charles Lang Freer. 

Bonham's. CHINESE PAINTINGS AND WORKS OF ART, 14 Sep 2015 10:00 EDT - NEW YORK

A rare repoussé and parcel-gilt silver bowl, Tang dynasty, early 8th century. Estimate US$ 30,000 - 50,000 (€27,000 - 45,000). Photo: Bonhams.

Finely worked in repoussé with fourteen raised lobed petals on the exterior inlaid in gilt with delicate symmetrical foliate scrolls, the register above gilt with various animals including deer, rabbit, geese and birds in flight amongst grasses and trees and all against a finely stippled ground, the circular raised foot decorated with downwards pointing flowers, the interior with six further animals gamboling around a central bird and the underside with a medallion enclosing flower heads on a scrolling stem. 5 7/8in (14.7cm) diam.

Provenance: An American private collection
Christies, Los Angeles, Treasures of the Tang, sale 8970, 4 December 1998, lot 74
Carl Kempe Collection, Sweden

Exhibited: New York, Asia House Gallery, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain, 1971, no.46

Literature: Bo Gyllensvärd, Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain: The Kempe Collection, Asia Society, New York, 1971, p. 52, no. 46

Notes: The present lot is an exquisite example of Tang metalwork: the once-glittering gold and silver proclaim wealth and status, but any brashness is chastened by the sophisticated delicacy of the construction and detailing. The theme of wild animals within a Persian-inspired landscape setting, full of variety and innovation, reflects the broad array of influences welcomed into Tang cities along the Silk Road. 

Repoussé and parcel-gilt bowls with interior chased decoration such as the present lot are extremely rare, and only a few other examples are known, including one in the Freer Gallery, Washington D.C. no.F1931.8 and described as "one of the finest silver objects from the Tang dynasty now in the Freer collection." Another bowl (13.7cm diameter) previously in the collection of Frederick M. Mayer (1898–1974) is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, no.1974.268.12. A slightly larger example (18.1cm diameter) is illustrated by G. Eskenazi, A Dealer's Hand: The Chinese Art World Through the Eyes of Giuseppe Eskenazi, London, 2012, p. 207, pl. 82, and another bowl is illustrated in the catalog to the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition The Arts of the T'ang Dynasty, London, 1955, no. 342, listed as the property of Mrs Walter Sedgwick. 

Other related examples are in the collection of the Asia Society in New York and the Hakutsuru Museum in Kobe, Japan. Importantly, the present lot can also be related to a gold petal-form bowl found in the Hejiacun hoard near the Tang capital of Chang'an (modern Xi'an) and illustrated in Tangdai Jinyiqi, Beijing, 1985, col. pl. 2. The Hejiacun hoard contains over 270 pieces of gold and silver thought to have been buried at the time of the An Lushan Rebellion in 755.

Bonham's. CHINESE PAINTINGS AND WORKS OF ART, 14 Sep 2015 10:00 EDT - NEW YORK

Francesco Guardi (1712 Venice 1796), A Capriccio Splendida Veduta della laguna. Estimated Price: CHF90,000 - CHF120,000. Photo Koller Auctions

Oil on paper laid on canvas. 36.4 x 50.5 cm. 

Expertise: Rodolfo Pallucchini. 

Provenance: Formerly the private collection of the family of Mario and Giuseppe Bellini, circa 1900-1930 

Exhibited: XIe Biennale Internazionale des Antiquaires, Montecarlo, 1995

Note: This Venetian Capriccio with houses on a coast and a triumphal arch and classical ruins of Francesco Guardi can be dated in the early work of the painter and still shows clearly the influence of his master Canaletto, known as Canaletto (1697-1768). However Guardi painting differs from that of the late Canaletto through vivid light and shade effects and a free, almost impulsively acting line, such as in the sails and the small, defined in a few strokes figures that enliven the scene in the foreground. Stylistically, these view very close to the 1760 to dating works in the Louvre, Paris (Inv No RF 2252, the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, around 1760-65, see Morassi, Antonio:.. L'opera completa di Antonio e Francesco Guardi, Venice 1973 Cat. no. 594, fig. 564) and in the National Gallery, London (inv. no. 210 NG, Piazza San Marco, oil on canvas, circa 1760, 72.4 x 119.1 cm, see ibid Morassi ., Cat No. 322 to place Figure 350)

Old Master Paintings by Koller Auctions, September 18, 2015, 3:00 PM CET - Zurich, Switzerland

A small 'Ding' incised 'Twin fish' dish, Song dynasty. Estimate 5,000 — 7,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

the rounded sides rising to a gently everted rim, the interior carved with a pair of carp swimming through combed and incised water. Diameter 4 3/4  in., 12.1 cm

Provenance: Collection of Edith St. George Huntington Wilson (b. 1866), Spencerport, Monroe, New York.
The Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection. 

Exhibited: The Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama from the 1980s to 2014 (on loan). 

Sotheby's. Saturday at Sotheby's: Asian Art, New York, 19 sept. 2015

A small carved 'Ding' bowl, Song dynasty. Estimate 2,000 — 3,000 USD. Photo: Sotheby's

the rounded sides raised on a small footring, freely carved to the interior with a single lotus spray, covered overall in an ivory white glaze. Diameter 3 1/2  in., 8.9 cm

Provenance: Collection of Cyrus and Mildred Churchill, Concordia House, Moline, Illinois

Sotheby's. Saturday at Sotheby's: Asian Art, New York, 19 sept. 2015